An interesting report came across our desk today. Here are some key findings:

• The United States has the best infrastructure and transit in the world;
• We are protecting our environment and living in a completely sustainable way that ensures future generations can enjoy our planet;
• We’ve surpassed every other nation on earth in elementary reading and math scores;
• and perhaps most shocking, social mobility is higher than ever!

In short, this report found that public investment has allowed our nation to thrive and be an engine for social mobility. Anybody that works hard can share in this unprecedented prosperity!

Of course we all know none of this is true. We don’t have the best infrastructure or education the world. We don’t hold polluters accountable and social mobility is not possible for many. But we should never forget that it is possible.

Today is tax day, and hopefully you’ve already filed your taxes. Our taxes provide the money for public investments that pave the way for shared prosperity. The problem is that the wealthiest people in the nation–the very people that have prospered by public investment–pay less of their income on taxes than we do.

We believe that fair taxation, of both income and wealth, is a cornerstone in a prosperous and fair economy. We work with state-based groups that are fighting the culture of austerity, disinvestment, and privatization every day. That's why today UFE and our partners at Voices for Progress are sending a letter from families in the top 5% in wealth in the US, urging congress to raise their taxes. We know that the only way to shared prosperity is through fair policies.

You’re a critical part of this work. And together, we need to hold accountable those individuals and businesses that have benefited from the investments that all of us have made and not contributed back. 

Today we’re asking for you to invest in this shared prosperity. Your donation helps us fight the culture of disinvestment and neglect that austerity and unfair tax policies promote.

Friends,

With mixed feelings, we announce that a wise and humble member of the United for a Fair Economy family is moving along.  After fourteen years as a facilitator, popular educator and mentor to many, Steve Schnapp is retiring.  As sad as we are to see him go, we are really excited to throw a party for him!  (One he insisted we not have. Ha!)

Join us at Spontaneous Celebrations, 45 Danforth Street in Jamaica Plain, MA on

Thursday, April 23rd from 7:00pm-10:00pm

to celebrate the retirement of long-time UFE educator-extraordinaire Steve Schnapp!

Those of you who know Steve will not be surprised to hear that we use the term “retire” loosely. Someone as dedicated to his work, and above all, the principles of economic and racial justice, will not be easily pulled from the movement. Steve will continue to show up for justice, and at UFE we’re going draw on his wisdom for a while longer. This does mean, though, that he’ll be spending much more time with his granddaughters, Grey and Zuzu, his wife Honey, and his two daughters, Tania and Jessie. And we couldn’t be happier for him.

Please join United for a Fair Economy on Thursday, April 23rd to celebrate Steve Schnapp and a life of humble contributions in support of the movement for social and economic justice.

There will be hors d'oeuvres, drinks, dancing and good company -- what more could you want?!

Can’t make the party? Consider Making a donation to the United for a Fair Economy Education Team in Steve’s honor. Your donation will enable UFE to continue to provide our unique brand of Popular Economics Education for organizers working on the front lines for social and economic justice. And by the way, we’re holding an open Training of Trainers right here in our own back yard at the Walker Center on May 28-31.

For more information, please contact Riahl O’Malley, National Education Coordinator at [email protected] or at 617.423.2148 ext. 127.

UFE's Training of Trainers Institute involves exploring the causes and consequences of income and wealth inequality and providing participants with educational tools to help inform their communities and inspire political action.

Transformative education—which includes reflection, thoughtful analysis, and learning from each other—is vital to the success of any movement for social and economic justice. In order to challenge the economic status quo, we first need to make sense of the roots of inequality and, more broadly, the ways in which systems create and perpetuate class, race, and gender inequality. Working toward a shared understanding of how we got here and a shared vision for the future will help us build a cross-race, cross-class movement for an equitable, democratic, and sustainable economy.

Our Popular Economics Education Team is once again offering UFE's renowned Training of Trainers Institute May 28-31, 2015 in Auburndale, MA at the Walker Conference Center (details below). We invite organizers, activists, educators, students, and others across the U.S. who want to join and advance the movement for a just economy, to attend.

Jeannette Huezo, Steve Schnapp, and Riahl O'Malley, will help you learn how to engage people in dialogue through UFE-style popular economics education workshops that demystify the economy and creatively educate, inspire, and mobilize people to take political action.

DATE:
Thursday, May 28 – ­Sunday, May 31, 2015
On-site check-in from 3:00–6:00 p.m. on Thursday May 28;
The Institute ends at 1:30 p.m.  on May 31.

LOCATION:
The Walker Center in Auburndale, MA (30 minutes from Boston’s Logan Airport and accessible by public transportation)

 

About the Institute

Is this training right for me?

What will I learn about?

What will particpants do?

What is the registration process?

 

Watch this video from one of our previous Training of Trainers.

 

UFE's Training of Trainers Institute: A Reflection from United for a Fair Economy on Vimeo.

 

IT IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF YOU ARE:

• An organizer, leader, activist, teacher, or trainer engaged in campaigns for economic or social justice, and/or
• If you are seeking to improve your training and facilitation skills in order to more effectively present information and engage people in dialogue about the economy. 

YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT:

• National economic trends and the rules, policies, and structures that make the economy a disaster for most of us and a goldmine for a few
• Viewing the economy through race and gender lenses;
• Some history about popular resistance to economic inequality in the U.S.;
• Strategies to build a powerful social movement that will address the economic divides; and Principles and practices of popular education.  

YOU WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO: 

• Work in small groups to plan and practice leading either UFE's or original popular economics education workshop activities;
• Receive constructive feedback on how to effectively present workshops and lead productive discussions on economic inequality;
• Discuss how to best adapt UFE's materials to your communities and constituents;
• Practice responding to challenging questions and difficult workshop situations; and
• Network, build solidarity and open doors for collaboration with others working for economic justice.

THE PROGRAM INCLUDES PRESENTATIONS OF CREATIVE AND ENGAGING ACTIVITIES FROM UFE'S WORKSHOPS, INCLUDING: 

• The Growing Divide - The Roots of Economic Security
• Closing the Racial Wealth Divide
• Immigration and the Growing Divide  

SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION:

• To register click here.  Application due April 17^th
• After we have received your registration your participation will be confirmed no later than April 30^th.  We recommend singing up early so you can secure your own flight at a reasonable price
• Participants should arrive at the Walker Center on Thursday, May 28, between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.; the program begins after dinner on Thursday and concludes after lunch on Sunday, May 31.
• Sessions are conducted in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings.
• Breaks are provided throughout the day to allow participants to catch their breath, reflect on and network with other participants.

Registration fee is based on a sliding scale based on whether you are attending as an invididual, or with the support of an organization. Cost includes the institute fee, materials, meals, and room/board (double occupancy). Transportation is NOT included. A minimum $25 deposit is required upon admission into the training. Payment in full is due one week before the start of the Institute. We offer additional reductions to organizations sending two or more participants.

Space is limited and preference is given to applicants who are able to attend the full Institute. Some materials, including a detailed agenda for the Institute, short readings, and logistical information, will be sent to all registrants prior to the training to help participants prepare for the Institute.

 

---

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Contact Riahl O'Malley via email ([email protected]) or phone at 827-277-7868 x127.

We are pleased and excited to announce Jeannette Huezo as our next Executive Director! Many of you already know Jeannette as a popular educator for UFE. Her expertise as a popular educator and facilitator are well known throughout the social justice community.

For 14 years, Jeannette has coordinated UFE’s Popular Education work and facilitated many workshops, particularly for Latino groups. She is also co-author of several of UFE’s State of the Dream reports on racial economic inequality in the U.S. In addition to her work with UFE, Jeannette currently serves on the Board of  Trustees of Access Strategies Fund and the National Executive Board of United Association for Labor Educators (UALE), and is a member of the Expert for Color Network at the Insight Center for Community Economic Development.

We are proud to lift up Jeannette as a dynamic Latina woman who exemplifies the leadership qualities we need and who reflects the constituencies that we work with.

In the State of the Union address, President Obama called for strengthening tax benefits for middle class and low-income working families, and for investing more in child care, early education, and higher education, including making the first two years of community college free. 99 percent of the impact of the President’s tax reform proposal would be on the top 1 percent, and more than 80 percent would come from the top 0.1 percent (those with incomes over $2 million). Responsible Wealth is gathering signatures in support of the President's plan.

“Imagining solutions,” the title of one of the many incredible conversations held last weekend at the annual conference of the National Alliance of Latinoamerican and Caribbean Communities (NALACC). “We chose the word ‘imagine’ deliberately,” explained Oscar Chacon, Executive Director of the Alliance.  “We are often told we need to accept the world as it is.” Organizers and activists gathered from around the country, as well as from Mexico and Central America, to reflect on ten years of work together and to chart a path towards a world as we imagine it should be.

United for a Fair Economy attended in support of the alliance and the incredible work being done by organizers and activists across the country.  NALACC is made up of Latino immigrant-lead organizations who are engaged in an inclusive struggle for social, economic and racial justice.  They are on the front lines, challenging the concentration of wealth and power.  Their work is vital to forming a movement that will build a more just society, a fair economy.  With the incredible challenges faced by immigrants in the U.S. and the violence and economic destitution that force many to migrate, we must hold our imaginations close.  

And as we imagine, we must also speak.  “The words we use create our reality,” said panelist Maria Elena Letona, Executive Director of Neighbor to Neighbor, a state-based economic and social justice organization in Massachusetts.  Following presentations from academics, journalists and activists, conference attendees divided into working groups to discuss what they heard and to plan.  United for a Fair Economy’s education team facilitated an extended dialogue on economic inequality.  This dialogue-based approach to organizing gave an opportunity to everyone attending to take ownership in the creation of a new reality.

“We have to talk about power,” insisted Miguel Huezo-Mixco, who flew in from El Salvador representing the United Nations Development Program.  He wasn’t only talking about the extreme concentration of wealth and power that organizations like NALACC and UFE seek to challenge, but also the power we harness to confront injustice. “How do we exercise power together?” he asked.

The NALACC facilitation team documented people’s responses in order to create a plan for building power over the years to come.  Organizers also offered a specific way in which power could be used to protect the human rights and dignity of immigrants across the country:  “Mr. President, use the power of the pen” read a banner on the stage in front.  It is the title of a campaign to put pressure on President Obama to use executive action to halt deportations.  The effort reflects the incredible imagination of the strong and committed immigrant organizers.  In spite of significant barriers placed by inequality, they have imagined a world in which people, immigrant and non-immigrant, are valued for their unique social, cultural and economic contributions to this country and to the world.  President Obama is planning to announce an immigration enforcement overhaul that could protect as many as five million immigrants from the threat of deportation.  This is thanks to an effort lead by immigrant activists and organizers across the country like those at NALACC, like the #not1more campaign, and many others waging the fight for justice.  United for a Fair Economy is proud to stand by their side.

Next week, on November 4^thanother election day will be upon us.  While we do not believe that voting alone will bring about the change that we need to achieve economic justice, it is one step towards building a movement that is needed for radical change to occur. And let’s not be fooled—radical change is needed in this country.

From Ferguson to Seattle.

From Durham to Providence.

From Miami to Detroit.

From your community to ours...

Change is needed to reach past the powers that be and build a movement for transformative economic justice.

When you enter your polling location next Tuesday, we ask you to think about your guiding principals. We at UFE have put a lot of thought towards our guiding principals, and we wanted to share some of them with you.

We believe that a fair economy is built around:

• Jobs with dignity and living wages, where workers have the democratic right to organize and share the wealth produced by their labor.

• A robust public sectorthat works for the common good, funded through progressive taxes and accountable to the people.

• Equal opportunity and equal justice for people who have been marginalized in our society based on gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, and social class.

• Sustainability and equity, where individuals do not accumulate excesses of wealth to the detriment of others or the planet. 
  

We each have our own principals that help guide us down the path of justice. We shared ours. Take from them, add to them or use your own. But when you vote next week, let those principals be your compass.  With these principals, we are on the path to justice. 

For the past few weeks, the nation’s attention has focused on an unlikely epicenter of race relations, a Quik-Trip convenience store about fifteen miles north of St. Louis. It was there that 18-year-old Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was gunned down by a white police officer, and it is there that a groundswell of sympathy and frustration has prompted the community, and nation, to act. The town of Ferguson was rocked by this tragic event, and has responded in an incredible way – by organizing. In addition to memorials, people are setting up voter registration tables, and this moment is on its way to becoming a movement with racial inequity at the heart of the conversation.

We believe that, in the words of Frederick Douglas, “power concedes nothing without a demand.” We at United for a Fair Economy have a very simple demand: let’s build an economy that works for Ferguson, and for the south side of Chicago, and for everywhere in between. Let’s build a system that provides the same level of economic stability for communities of color as exists in middle class suburbs or affluent communities. Just as racial profiling is at the heart of this tragic event, the racial wealth divide should be a part of this conversation, and that is something that we’ve been working to bring into public consciousness for over a decade.

We understand that systemic racism will always exist as long as our economy doesn’t match our ideals. That’s why we were founded twenty years ago with a simple goal: to work towards a fair economy. We live up to this ambitious mission, and our name says it all.

We are united to build an economy that provides equal opportunity and equal justice for people who have been marginalized in our society based on race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or social class.

We are united to build an economy that creates jobs with dignity, that provide living wages, and where workers have the democratic right to organize and share the wealth produced by their labor.

We are united to create a robust public sector that works for the common good, funded through progressive taxes, and accountable to the people, and together, we will build this economy in a way that is sustainable and equitable for future citizens of our planet.

We remain vigilant, and our hearts are with those building a movement in Ferguson, in Queens, NY, and every other community that has been rocked by violence.

AN AUG. 5 editorial praised Walmart for providing nontraditional banking options for the “underbanked” in select stores. While offering simple financial services such as low-cost check cashing sounds like a good idea, we are left to wonder what is motivating the largest retailer in the world to enter into this business.

On the surface this looks like Walmart is providing a needed service to the community, but we don’t need to dig deep to see that this is another strategy to increase profits.

While we believe that there is a great need for affordable and accessible banking options, we support offering these services through an established public institution: the US Post Office. This option would address the needs of the financially excluded, provide banking options to working-class communities and communities of color, ease the financial burden of being poor, and ensure that wage earners can provide for their family without being preyed upon by businesses.Ben Jackson, a financial analyst for Mercator Advisory Group, recently told Forbes, “The big strategy is capturing people’s wallets as soon as they are filled. If a customer’s wallet is filled at a Walmart store, then it’s likely the customer will do some incremental shopping there too.” While this motivation may seem different from that of payday lenders that charge outlandish fees, in both cases they are driven by profiting off of low-income consumers.

Michael Young
Director, Tax FairnessOrganizing Collaborative
United for a Fair Economy

Russ Davis
Executive director
Massachusetts Jobs with Justice

Printed 8/14/13 in the Boston Globe

UFE's Training of Trainers Institute involves exploring the causes and consequences of income and wealth inequality and providing participants with educational tools to help inform their communities and inspire political action.

Transformative education—which includes reflection, thoughtful analysis, and learning from each other—is vital to the success of any movement for social and economic justice. In order to challenge the economic status quo, we first need to make sense of the roots of inequality and, more broadly, the ways in which systems create and perpetuate class, race, and gender inequality. Working toward a shared understanding of how we got here and a shared vision for the future will help us build a cross-race, cross-class movement for an equitable, democratic, and sustainable economy.

Our Popular Economics Education Team is once again co-hosting UFE's renowned Training of Trainers Institute in October 2014 in New Market, TN, with the Highlander Center (details below). We invite organizers, activists, educators, students, and others across the U.S. who want to join and advance the movement for a just economy, to attend.

Jeannette Huezo, Steve Schnapp, and Riahl O'Malley, UFE's Education Coordinators, will help you learn how to engage people in dialogue through UFE-style popular economics education workshops that demystify the economy and creatively educate, inspire, and mobilize people to take political action.

DATE:
Thursday, October 23 – ­Sunday, October 26, 2014
On-site check-in from 3:00–6:00 p.m. on October 23, 2014;
The Institute ends at 1:30 p.m.  on October 26.

LOCATION:
Highlander Research and Education Center (Newmarket, TN)
Located in the foothills of the beautiful Smoky Mountains, about an hour from the McGhee Tyson Airport near Knoxville.

 

About the Institute

IT IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF YOU ARE:
•  An organizer, leader, activist, teacher, or trainer engaged in campaigns for economic or social justice, and/or
•  If you are seeking to improve your training and facilitation skills in order to more effectively present information and engage people in dialogue about the economy.

YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT:
•  National economic trends and the rules, policies, and structures that make the economy a disaster for most of us and a goldmine for a few
•  Viewing the economy through race and gender lenses;
•  Some history about popular resistance to economic inequality in the U.S.;
•  Strategies to build a powerful social movement that will address the economic divides; and Principles and practices of popular education.

YOU WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO: 
•  Work in small groups to plan and practice leading either UFE's or original popular economics education workshop activities;
•  Receive constructive feedback on how to effectively present workshops and lead productive discussions on economic inequality; 
•  Discuss how to best adapt UFE's materials to your communities and constituents;
•  Practice responding to challenging questions and difficult workshop situations; and
•  Network, build solidarity and open doors for collaboration with others working for economic justice.

THE PROGRAM INCLUDES PRESENTATIONS OF CREATIVE AND ENGAGING ACTIVITIES FROM UFE'S WORKSHOPS, INCLUDING: 
•  The Growing Divide - The Roots of Economic Security
•  Closing the Racial Wealth Divide
•  Immigration and the Growing Divide

SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION:
•  Participants should arrive at Highlander on Thursday, October 23, between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.; the program begins after dinner on Thursday and concludes after lunch on Sunday, October 26.
•  Sessions are conducted in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings.
•  Breaks are provided throughout the day to allow participants to catch their breath, reflect on and network with other participants.

Registration fee is based on a sliding scale (see below) and includes the Institute fee, materials, meals, and room/board (double occupancy). Transportation is NOT included. A minimum $25 deposit is required with your application. Payment in full is due one week before the start of the Institute. We offer additional reductions to organizations sending two or more participants.

Space is limited and preference is given to applicants who are able to attend the full Institute. Some materials, including a detailed agenda for the Institute, short readings, and logistical information, will be sent to all registrants prior to the training to help participants prepare for the Institute.

 

Organization Budget	Attendee Fee
$500,000 and higher	$500
$250,000-500,000	$400
$100,000-$250,000	$300
Less than $100,000	$200

 

 

 

 

 

---

Still Undecided? Watch this video from one of our previous Training of Trainers.

UFE's Training of Trainers Institute: A Reflection from United for a Fair Economy on Vimeo.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact Jeannette Huezo ([email protected], 857-277-7881) or Steve Schnapp ([email protected], 857-277-7868) or Riahl O'Malley ([email protected], 827-277-7868 x127).

On Wednesday, July 2, the UFE team joined our sisters at MataHari: Eye of the Day – an organization of women of color, immigrant women and families that works to end exploitation and gender-based violence – at the Massachusetts State House for a momentous occasion: the signing of the Massachusetts Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights. 

The bill guarantees basic protections and standards for domestic workers: 24 hours off per 7-day calendar week and 48 hours off per month; meal and rest breaks; limited vacation and sick days; parental leave; protection from discrimination, sexual harassment, illegal charges for food and lodging, and eviction without notice; notice of termination; and a means of enforcing these standards. MataHari and the rest of the MA Coalition for Domestic Workers have been working on and advocating for the bill since 2011 and were instrumental in its passage.UFE is proud to have worked with MataHari, using our signature Training of Trainers program and other workshops to provide tools and techniques to enhance their organizing and advocacy efforts. Over the last year, and funded in part by a grant from The Berger-Marks Foundation, UFE’s Jeannette Huezo led a series of interactive workshops for MataHari on organizing strategies, leadership development, contracts and negotiations, immigration policies and reforms, and the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights. This bill was a victory for workers’ rights and equality, and we are proud to support the cause.

The signing was an exciting and proud event. It began with speeches from Lydia Edwards of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Governor Deval Patrick, and Attorney General Martha Coakley. Then two domestic worker activists (including MataHari’s Angella Foster) shared their experiences and spoke about the importance of the bill. Next, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Senator Anthony W. Petruccelli (sponsor of the bill) spoke to the crowd. Finally, Governor Patrick signed the bill and the celebrations began.

I interviewed MataHari’s Director, Monique Nguyen Belizario, about the bill. Here’s what she had to say…

Q: What does the passage of this bill mean for domestic workers in Massachusetts?

A: It means recognition and respect for the important work that domestic workers do. For so long domestic workers have been marginalized and left out of these conversations. In the 1930s and 40s when labor laws were being written in the U.S., domestic workers were left out because many were freed black slaves and they wanted to be able to continue to exploit them. That injustice still has not been completely made right to this day, so this bill is a big step. It provides a lot of rights that most workers take for granted. This is also a feminist issue, since most domestic workers are women and domestic work is a commodified version of women’s traditional role in the household.

Q: How long has MataHari been working toward passage of this bill?

A: The campaign has been going on for about 4 years. The legislation was introduced a year ago. Before that, MataHari did a lot of work with the MA Coalition for Domestic Workers. MataHari has historically always done work with domestic workers. At first, MataHari was working on individual cases of exploitation, but after a few years of that there was a shift to community organizing – survivors wanted to make things right and seek justice.

Q: What was the greatest challenge along the way?

A: Working in the coalition. Organizing is already a challenge – you have to balance making your own organization strong and powerful to get what you want while maintaining your own identity, but also being able to bend and negotiate and collaborate with other groups, legislators, etc.

Q: What are the next steps for MataHari and for domestic workers’ rights nationally?

A: For MataHari, the next step is implementation – passing a law is the glamorous part and many groups stop there, but we are working for social transformation. We’re working now on the “Make It Real” campaign – base building, having conversations with workers and employers, getting commitment from cities to support the bill and offer resources for implementation. After months of work from our Lynn team the city passed a resolution to support implementation of the Bill of Rights in their city. We want to expand on that and work on the local level – it’s up to each local group to decide how they will make it real.

Nationally, there is a push for the federal government to do something about it. The state level work shows groundswell and our sister organizations in other states are contemplating pushing in their own states for something similar, but this should be federal work. In 2010 the International Labour Organization adopted its Convention on Domestic Workers, and 15 countries have signed on, but the U.S. has not. The U.S. should sign on to the Convention and respect the rights of women in our country.

Blog post written and translated by Aliza Partlan, Development Intern.

“We’re stronger if we work together.”  The resolve in her voice was palpable.  What began as a conversation about the hazards of over-exposure to pesticides in farmwork turned into something much more.  In revealing common experience among farmworkers and examining root causes of their struggles this small group began to speak about the necessity of immigrant communities working together to make real change.  It became education for movement building.

The mini-workshop was part of a weekend-long “Training of Trainers”, the first I attended as Education Coordinator with United for a Fair Economy. The Equal Voice for Florida’s Families Coalition invited UFE to facilitate the event.  The topic: using the principles and practices of popular education in organizing for social justice.  Attending were farmworkers, undocumented students, and African-American organizers working in solidarity with Latino immigrant communities.  The room was filled with wisdom and experience.

As part of the training fellow UFE educator Jeannette Huezo led the group in a series of exercises that demonstrated the growing economic divide in the U.S.  In one activity ten of us sat on ten chairs lined horizontally in front of the room.  Before we knew it nine people were squished together, stuck sharing three chairs.  I had seven all to myself.  This, she explained, represents the reality of economic inequality in the U.S.  While 70% of the population shares 10% of the wealth, the richest 10% has 90% of the wealth.  “What do you see happening?” Jeannette asked those who were piled up on top of one another.  “It isn’t fair!” one person shouted.  “He has more than he can even use!” another person said.

After a few more activities we split into small groups so that participants could have a turn developing their own workshops.  This is when three organizers with the Association of Florida Farmworkers decided to rehearse their workshop on pesticide exposure.  Though each organizer knew a great deal on the hazards of farm work they worked with UFE facilitators to craft a series of questions for the group so that participants could draw their own conclusions.  In the course of our discussion it became clear to all of us: the risk of chemical exposure is linked to the vulnerabilities and struggles of being an immigrant in the United States. 

While important content was relayed the information wasn’t what gave this space meaning.  These organizers could have rattled off methods of prevention, just as Jeannette could have lectured on rising inequality.  But instead they drew from the experience in the room: the experience of having declining wages, no health care, no retirement, of facing the risk of being separated from one’s family because of deportation.  The conversation opened a bigger question: why do the growers sit on more wealth than they can use while those who work hard and risk their health live in poverty? 

We all left the weekend energized for the work ahead, with the analysis and relationships necessary to forge a movement to uproot inequality.  It made me proud to be a part of the team at United for a Fair Economy and proud to support and learn from activists and advocates who are leading us towards a more just future.

Dear Friends and Supporters of UFE:

As the chair of the board of directors at United for a Fair Economy, I am writing today to share some important news about leadership transitions happening at UFE this spring.  These transitions include the departure of our Executive Director, Brian Miller, and the formation of a new interim leadership team consisting of two senior members of UFE’s staff, Jeannette Huezo and Mike Lapham.

Together, Jeannette and Mike bring over 30 years of collective experience at UFE, and I am excited about the insight they will bring to the table in helping the organization navigate the change in leadership.  Indeed, their experience and passion for the work, combined with the commitment and talents of the rest of the UFE team, makes me extremely optimistic about the organization’s future as it enters its third decade this fall!  

But before we start looking ahead, I want to take a moment to offer the board’s gratitude to Brian, who since 2009 has led the organization through 5 years of unprecedented growth and success, including:

• A victory on the federal tax front, helping secure the first increase in the estate tax rate in 28 years;

• Publication of The Self-Made Myth, a new UFE book challenging right-wing orthodoxy, co-authored by Brian Miller and our Responsible Wealth project director Mike Lapham;

• Exposing the racial wealth divide and the policies that created it with our annual State of the Dream reports, including our most recent installment, State of the Dream 2014: Healthcare for Whom?; and,

• The trailblazing, renowned work that we do here at UFE and all across the country every single day: supporting on-the-ground organizing from coast-to-coast through our signature trainings of trainers institutes, popular economics education curriculum development, and state-level tax fairness organizing!

In 2013, Brian together with the rest of the staff and board shepherded UFE through a year-long strategic planning process that culminated in the adoption of our powerful new, five-year strategic plan.  With this sweeping roadmap in hand, UFE is poised to take on economic justice in bold new ways, supporting the constituencies and communities most affected by rising inequality today in America!

We are grateful to Brian for his many contributions and for his leadership in helping us reach this exciting moment in UFE’s nearly 20-year history.  But now, in this time of new beginnings, Brian is turning over the reins, inviting new opportunity and fresh perspectives in the form of new leadership that will take the organization into its next chapter…

With that in mind, I am very proud to announce that two of UFE’s most senior and longest-tenured staff will be assuming the role of interim co-executive directors: Jeannette Huezo, a treasured and long-time member of our Popular Economics Education team, and Mike Lapham, co-founder and director of UFE’s Responsible Wealth project.  Together, they have over 30 years of experience at UFE, and many more years of experience working in the field of economic justice before their time here.  They each have a deep passion for economic and racial justice and are committed to UFE’s mission as a movement support organization.

I have tremendous confidence in Jeannette and Mike to effectively guide the organization through the coming months.  Their long-standing commitment to UFE, and to the movement as a whole, makes them the ideal choice for this role.  They have already taken the helm at UFE, and their leadership today is critically important to ensuring the smooth implementation of the first stages of our new strategic plan and in assisting the board in its search for a new executive director.

With UFE’s operations now in the capable hands of Jeannette and Mike, the board is beginning its work of searching for an exceptional and talented leader to fill Brian’s shoes.  This process is only just beginning—you will be learning more about the search in the coming weeks and months, so please stay tuned.  (For now, please know that we will be reaching out to you, our supporters and partners, to help us find the right leader for UFE’s next phase.)

In the meantime, there’s much work to be done!  The board has been working closely with UFE’s staff over the past several weeks to implement a transition plan that ensures we don’t miss a beat in our important work to support the movement for economic justice.  And we will be turning to our loyal and outstanding supporters and partners to stick with us and continue to invest in UFE’s future—for the success of our near-term and long-term goals, and for the realization of our shared vision of a fairer economy and a better way of life for all of us.

It is this shared vision that unites us, you and me and so many more who are committed to challenging concentrated wealth and power in our country.  With our new strategic plan, we at United for a Fair Economy have positioned our selves to be a leading force in the movement for economic justice.  And so we will carry on, together, and with your continued support, blazing the trail into the organization’s third decade!

With gratitude and in solidarity,

Edwin Argueta
Board Chair
United for a Fair Economy

What did April 15th mean to you? Well, it was Tax Day, for one thing—and though it may, for many, represent the very ordinary American ritual of (reluctantly) handing your hard-earned income over to the government, for us at United for a Fair Economy, it’s an opportunity. Very simply, it’s an opportunity to talk about why taxes (and the critical public sector for which they provide a foundation and ongoing sustenance) are important.

This year, as in many other years of UFE’s nearly 20-year history, we seized this opportunity! Across the country in 15 different locations (as recently as last Wednesday), hundreds of UFE friends and supporters gathered at private homes, community centers, churches, bookstores, and libraries to screen Robert Reich’s acclaimed film about rising inequality, Inequality For All, and have a conversation about fair taxation, rising inequality, and what we, together, can do about it.

The provocative (at times funny, at times sad) film explains the current state of economic inequality in the US and tells the story of how we got where we are today—and what will happen tomorrow if rising inequality is left unchecked. It’s a powerful 90 minutes of history and storytelling about the collapse of the American middle class and the rise of the super-rich.

After the screening, those in attendance shared what they found most striking about the film, and what they did—or didn’t—have in common with the people whose stories are featured in the film. And so dozens of people shared their unique experiences with the issue of rising inequality in America, and here’s what we discovered: we’re all effected by inequality—indeed, inequality hurts of all us, regardless of how much we make or how much we have in the bank.

This is the message at the core of United for a Fair Economy’s work. It’s the glue that makes the partnership of UFE and its supporters real and so critically important.

With the public sector under assault from well-funded, right-wing ideologues, unleashed by recent Supreme Court decisions (Citizens United and, most recently, McCutcheon), it’s the right time to be talking about why taxes are important. Even in the wake of January’s (quite uncommon) congressional compromise on the budget, House Republicans remain bent on gutting the public sector. They demonize Democrats for making future generations pay for “reckless” government spending today, but what kind of nation are we leaving our children when we decide, today, that we’re no longer going to invest in public education, scientific research and technological innovation, infrastructure and transportation for tomorrow?

With Tax Day 2014 behind us—and these coast-to-coast gatherings, too—we’d like to thank our gracious hosts for opening up their home and other spaces to host these important conversations in an important moment in our history. THANK YOU!

And if you yourself would like to host a screening and gathering at your home, community center, church, or place of business, let us know! We’d be happy to help you get some fellow UFE supporters together in your neighborhood, too!

Across the nation, workers are rallying to hoist wages for the lowest-paid jobs into the reality of today’s economy. Since 2009, the federal minimum wage has remained $7.25/hour — compensation so inadequate that it holds back hardworking adults from advancing their educations, providing for their families, and participating fully in the economic life of their communities.

At United for a Fair Economy, we believe that low-wage worker organizing is at the forefront of the fight for economic justice. As spelled out in our guiding principles, "Jobs with dignity and living wages, where workers have the democratic right to organize and share the wealth produced by their labor" is at the core of a fair economy.

That’s why we together—UFE’s staff, partners, and our committed supporters like many of you reading this today—are devoting all available resources to support the work of low-wage worker organizing. In fact, it’s one of two major priorities enshrined in our new five-year strategic plan (unveiled in December).

So now and into the future, UFE will be providing groups on the ground with our renowned popular education curricula, acting as an ally in state and regional struggles, keeping our supporters informed and engaged, and encouraging high-wealth allies to speak out in cross-class solidarity. This is how we will leave our mark!

Why is a minimum wage increase important?

It’s high time we replace the outdated image of the minimum wage worker as a teenager living at home, working for pocket money after school. The median age of fast food workers, for instance, is now 29 years old, and 68% are the primary wage-earners for their families. This is a racial and gender justice issue, too: Minimum wage workers are disproportionately people of color, and almost 66% are women.

For the sake of our nation’s economy, too, a hike in the lowest wages is long overdue. If the minimum wage had kept up with inflation since 1968, it would now be about $11/hour. Had it kept up with productivity gains, it would be much higher ($16.54, according to the Center for Economic Policy Research), and if it had risen at the rate of CEO pay, well, we at UFE might very well be looking for work—that is, our work wouldn’t be necessary

Meanwhile, the vise of a patently inadequate minimum wage keeps workers from contributing to the economic recovery. According to a recent data analysis by the Center for American Progress,

Raising the minimum wage would be good for our economy. A higher minimum wage not only increases workers’ incomes—which is sorely needed to boost demand and get the economy going—but it also reduces turnover, cuts the costs that low-road employers impose on taxpayers, and pushes businesses toward a high-road, high-human-capital model.

Increasing the wealth of the super-rich doesn’t boost the economy, as they already have most of the goods they want — whereas when low-income people have more money in their pockets, they spend it. 

So what’s happening, and how is UFE involved?

A number of groups, including SEIU, are leading the "Fight for 15" campaign to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour in many cities. Some voters are out ahead: In Seattle, candidates for both the city council and the mayor’s office won in November on $15/hour minimum wage platforms and began working on the issue immediately, while in nearby SeaTac, WA, voters approved a $15 minimum wage, effective this year. (Unfortunately a recent court ruling, if upheld, will exclude airport employees from the new law.)

United for a Fair Economy is proud to do our part! UFE is working with SEIU to develop educational curricula for the "Fight for 15" campaigns, just as we did with the group’s earlier "Fight for a Fair Economy" campaign to organize fast food workers. It was the recent series of strikes by fast food workers that brought this issue fully into the public’s view and ignited the current wave of minimum wage organizing.

United for a Fair Economy is working with Interfaith Worker Justice to organize a faith-based workshop on inequality at their national conference in Chicago this June, a gathering of faith leaders, organizers, and leaders from worker centers around the nation. Looking to widen our involvement further, we have begun dialogues with other grassroots labor organizing groups about ways to work in partnership and strengthen the broader movement for wage justice.

Here at home, UFE is a member of RaiseUp Massachusetts, a coalition to raise the state minimum wage to $10.50 by 2016, and more importantly to tie it to inflation for the future. We’ve sent alerts to our supporters and spoke at a recent lobby day (where there was also a screening of Reich's Inequality for All). The wage hike has been passed by the MA House of Representatives, and the push is on to make sure the full package of changes is enacted this year.

There are minimum wage initiatives on the ballot or advancing in state houses in dozens of states this year. If you are organizing for low-wage worker justice in your community, let us know! We want to help.

Sources and Additional Reading:

• Median age of fast food workers is 29 years old: Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics
• 68% of fast food workers are the main wage earners for their families: Center for Labor Research and Education
• Almost two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women: National Women’s Law Center
• 42% of minimum wage workers are people of color: Restaurant Opportunities Center
• According to the Center for Labor Research and Education, the families of more than half of fast food workers are enrolled in public assistance programs.
• When low-income people have more money in their pockets, they spend it: Chicago Fed Letter

Original post by Andy Myers, Community Engagement Coordinator for Working Films.

Follow @workingfilms// 

We’ve recently returned from a week in Boston with our Reel Economy partner, United for a Fair Economy (UFE) for Raise the Roots, the annual conference of the Tax Fairness Organizing Collaborative. We kicked off the conference with an sneak peek screening of the dynamic documentary Inequality for All. Starring Robert Reich, it’s being lauded as the Inconvenient Truth of the Economy. We packed the house at The Brattle Theater in Cambridge and the screening was followed by an engaging panel discussion on organizing for progressive state tax policy.

The next day, we led a workshop entitled "From Seats to Streets: Using Film to Move the Masses." We presented case studies that showed how the Reel Economy collective can and is being used to help advance a fair and just economy. Workshop attendees included directors of organizations from all over the country who are a part of UFE’s Tax Fairness Organizing Collaborative, a network of 28 member organizations in 24 states that use grassroots power to promote progressive tax reform.

A main focus of the session was on developing specific strategies to put the films to use for state level shifts – we’ve recognized, as has Reich, that this is where change is happening and our work with Reel Economy in the next year with UFE will field test a state level organizing strategy. The workshop participants came up with specific examples of how they can put these films to work at home and envisioned the impact Reel Economy can have.

We’ve already begun some of this work in North Carolina with UFE and Democracy North Carolina, where we are hosting two screenings of Citizen Koch, one in Durham (June 30th) and one in Greenville (June 25th), to spotlight the similarities between the issues in the film (which follows the gubernatorial election and recall in Wisconsin) and the current political climate in NC. Our goal is to support and assist with further building and mobilizing the Moral Monday movement and to advance the work of NC organizations working for economic and social justice.

READ: Andy's follow-up post on the Reel Economy screenings of Citizen Koch in North Carolina.

WATCH: Reel Economy collective film trailers